1
100 books of the century
Le Monde, 1999. A critics list, ranked. See the original list
We use only the titles, authors and places from this list. 72 novels from it are in The Novel Index.
The Novel Index earns a small commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our rankings. More about how we earn.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
14
18
21
22
23
Asterix the Gaul
René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, 1959
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
26
27
28
29
30
31
The Horseman on the Roof
Jean Giono, 1951
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
32
33
34
35
Thérèse Desqueyroux
François Mauriac, 1927
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
36
Zazie in the Metro
Raymond Queneau, 1959
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
37
Confusion of Feelings
Stefan Zweig, 1926
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
Under the Sun of Satan
Georges Bernanos, 1926
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
46
47
48
Contempt/A Ghost at Noon
Alberto Moravia, 1954
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
49
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Agatha Christie, 1926
On 1 of the 16 lists it was eligible for
50
51
55
56
58
61
62
The Ballad of the Salty Sea
Hugo Pratt, 1967
On 1 of the 15 lists it was eligible for
64
The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum
Heinrich Böll, 1974
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
65
67
68
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
Selma Lagerlöf, 1906
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
70
The Martian Chronicles
Ray Bradbury, 1950
On 1 of the 17 lists it was eligible for
71
The Ravishing of Lol Stein
Marguerite Duras, 1964
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
72
75
78
Manhattan Transfer
John Dos Passos, 1925
On 1 of the 16 lists it was eligible for
80
81
The General of the Dead Army
Ismail Kadare, 1963
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
82
84
The Strange Case of Peter the Lett
Georges Simenon, 1931
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
85
Our Lady of the Flowers
Jean Genet, 1943
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
86
88
89
No Orchids For Miss Blandish
James Hadley Chase, 1939
On 1 of the 16 lists it was eligible for
90
Blake and Mortimer
Edgar P. Jacobs, 1950
On 1 of the 15 lists it was eligible for
91
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
Rainer Maria Rilke, 1910
On 1 of the 11 lists it was eligible for
92
94
95
96
98
99
100
The lists that agree with this one most
| List | Books in common |
|---|---|
| 100 novels everyone should read (The Telegraph, 2009) | 18 |
| Readers' top 100 novels (The Guardian, 2026) | 17 |
| Bokklubben World Library (Norwegian Book Clubs, 2002) | 12 |
| The 100 greatest novels of all time (The Observer, 2003) | 13 |
| The 100 best novels of all time (The Guardian, 2026) | 13 |